Izone is already gaining benefits from the prioritising of transport networks
The roads in and around Izone are fast and efficient and as the region’s population and economic activity increase, planned roading improvements will cater for anticipated growth.
The blueprint for improving the roads and other transport networks to Izone is the Christchurch, Rolleston and Environs Transportation Study (CRETS) 2007.
The study reviewed the highways, rail and air infrastructure around the Izone area and involved Environment Canterbury, Christchurch City Council, NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), Selwyn District Council and Christchurch International Airport Ltd.
CRETS has identified transport priorities and Izone will eventually benefit from the four-lane Southern Motorway project. Christchurch’s arterial ring road which leads to the Port of Lyttelton is the starting point for the four-lane extension. Costing $110m, it is the largest NZTA project in the South Island.
Stage One, which is scheduled to open in 2013, will run from Halswell Junction Road through to Brougham Street in the central city, bypassing Christchurch’s southern suburbs. The next stage, the exact design of which is still to be determined, will see the motorway connect up with SH1 just south of Templeton. The third stage will see SH1 four-laned to the outskirts of Rolleston.
